It showcases the carious styles of embroidery practised by the different communities in Kutch.
Shrujan Trust will open the doors to it's Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC) on Monday, January 25, 2016. The one-of-its-kind textile museum and training centre has been established to preserve the indigenous and traditional crafts, embroidery being one among them, practised for centuries by the various communities in Kutch. Built at a cost of Rs 26 crore, pooled by the Shrujan Trust, two other charitable trusts and two family industries, the Centre has three museum galleries and multiple spaces for training, conducting workshops and research. Text: Marisha Karwa. Photos courtesy: Shrujan & Abhisehk Ray (Matrika Design Collaborative)
1. The Living and Learning Design Centre
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The Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC) is in Paddher village, 18km from Bhuj city. The 9-acre campus has a green building constructed of flyash, limewater, exposed concrete, lime plaster and Kota stone.
2. Kutch's artisans visit the museum
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Before it opens to the public, the Centre and the museum gallery wanted Kutch's artisans from across villages to be its first visitors. Shrujan founder Chanda K Shroff (sitting) interacts with some of them during their visit.
3. Various styles of embroidery found in Kutch
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One of the main exhibits in the first gallery is this installation that showcases the various styles of embroidery practised by the different communities in Kutch. The Ahir's embroidery is called Ahir; the Haleputras practise Kambiro embroidery; the Mutvas practise Mukko, Mutva-Pakko, Gotaav, Chopad and Katari; the weaving Rabaari community's embroidery is called Rabaari; the cobbler or Mochi community's embroidery is called Aari; the Jat community practises Jat-Garaasiya, Jat-Fakiraani, Dhanetah embroideries; the Sodha community does Sodha-Pakko and Neran; the Node community practises the Node while the Meghwad-Maarus do the Soof and Khaarek.
4. 'Living exhibits' at the museum
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The museum displays consist of a 'living exhibit' (say a sari or a ghagra) juxtaposed alongside a 3ftx4ft embroidered panel. The panel showcases authentic, traditional designs, including motifs, borders, colours, etc, of each community. These panels were commissioned by Shrujan to master artisans, typically grandmothers who passed the artform to their daughters and granddaughters, between 1997-2002
5. Traditional embroidery from Kutch
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These panels were commissioned by Shrujan to master artisans, typically grandmothers who would orally pass the artform to their daughters and granddaughters, between 1997-2002. Shrujan commissioned nearly 1,000 such panels so it could document and preserve some of the most traditional embroideries from Kutch. The intricacy of some of these designs is unmatched.
6. The three layers of the gallery display
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The museum has been designed by Abhishek Ray of Matrika Design Collaborative. “The gallery display has been broken into three layers — the top layer represents the community, the middle layer displays their artform and the bottom most has the details such as the information, fabric swatches and other tertiary items of the art form,” says Ray.
7. Installations adorned with traditional embroidered fabrics
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The embroidery, colours and design of each garment serve as an identity marker for each community. The style of a woman's garb also reveals at what stage in her life she is. For instance, in the Ahir community, the kaachdi (blouse) of young, unmarried girls is designed of the same fabric without a sald (bust panel; see mannequin on extreme right). The blouse of newly married a woman will have necessarily have a bust panel made of a fabric distinct from the rest of the blouse (second mannequin from right). The ghaagro (skirt) of a woman who has been married for a while is usually a sedate black or red (extreme left). The chundadi (head covering) is always printed in bright colours. As the woman grows older, the embellishment reduces from her clothes, so her blouse may still be bright, but doesn't have embroidery (middle-seated mannequin). The skirt and the head covering too are sans the finery.
8. Style of garments an identity marker of each community
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Among the mannequins are installations of a camel and a cow. It is common practise in Kutch to adorn their cattle and camels with traditionally, embroidered fabrics over their bodies.
9. Pottery, toys, jutis, weapons
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The textile museum also showcases other arts and crafts, including pottery, brass works, toys, jutis, weapons, etc, from various Kutch communities.
10. 22 indigenous arts and crafts traditions in Kutch
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Today, Shrujan Trust works with nearly 4,000 women across 100 villages in Kutch. There are about 22 indigenous arts and crafts traditions across this dry and arid region in Gujarat. Shrujan hopes that the LLDC becomes the hub of all these 22 traditional crafts in the next five years.
